If you are a retired public school teacher, you should thank the Republicans in the Legislature for making sure you retirement check is there every month. In 2009, after 100 years of Democrat leadership, the teacher retirement fund had 49.8 percent of the amount of money needed to pay every teacher who was eligible to…
The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1395 to improve the financial transparency and accountability of Oklahoma’s five public virtual charter schools. Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, and Rep. Sheila Dills, R-Tulsa, are the authors of the bill, which will subject virtual charter schools to same financial reporting requirements, financial audits, audit procedures and audit requirements as…
State education officials are promising that parents and school patrons will see the preliminary results of the Oklahoma School Testing Program for grades 3-8 by the end of May. Individual scores will be posted at oklaschools.com. To log in to the portal, families must have their student’s 10-digit State Testing Number, or STN, which is…
Sen. Jason Smalley, R-Stroud, is supporting amended legislation to raise the cap on the Equal Opportunity Education Program when it comes back to the Senate. SB 407, as amended, proposes to increase the annual tax credit cap for contributions to eligible scholarship-granting organizations from $3.5 million to $15 million. The bill would also increase the…
In a bipartisan, unanimous vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee last week advanced a House teacher pay raise bill . House Bill 1780 by Speaker Charles McCall would implement a $1,200 teacher pay raise bill at a cost of $70 million annually. President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, is the Senate author of the bill….
Southern Nazarene University’s new veterans’ center opened April 16 in Tulsa, providing services to veteran college students and their families during the transition from military to academic, civilian life. In the past, students had to navigate the system on their own or seek help from SNU’s VETS Center in Bethany, said Brint Montgomery, the VETS…
Governor Kevin Stitt has appointed Steven W. Taylor to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Pending Senate confirmation, Taylor will serve a nine year term, effective May 17. “Chief Justice Taylor has been a dedicated public servant for the people of Oklahoma his entire career,” said Stitt. “He has a passion for education and…
Gov. Kevin Stitt has appointed Carlisha Williams Bradley to the State Board of Education. Pending Senate confirmation, Bradley will serve a four-year term effective through April 2, 2023. “I am thrilled to appoint Carlisha to the State Board of Education,” said Stitt. “She is a driven and successful individual who has been a strong leader…
Stacey Woolley got 68 percent of the vote (552-259) over Nicole Nixon and was elected to the Office No. 1 on the Tulsa School Board on April 2. In the Tulsa Tech race for Office No. 7, Jim Baker beat Tom Trimble, Sr. 1,540-934. Christi Gillespie got 1,924 votes in the race for Ward 3…
The Oklahoma Senate approved legislation to encourage more classroom time for students. Senate Bill 441 by Senator Marty Quinn is one of four agenda items of Senate Republicans. The bill passed on a 31-17 vote and now goes to the House for consideration. “What’s best for students is to spend as much time as possible…